Huffing at herself in the mirror, Takane did her best to pin up the scraggly bits in the back, where her hair was too short to be held up by her pigtails. Her hair had grown more than she'd expected, in the two years her body had been left floating in the tube, but somehow it still seemed just as scruffy and scraggly as ever. Just her luck, she supposed.
Normally it didn't bother her; she'd worn her hair like that all through high school, or what she'd had of high school. But being Ene had given her control over her appearance that she'd become accustomed to. Going back to this body was difficult, although that was far from the only reason. Sounds were too loud now, textures overwhelming. She wore a floppy jacket most days even in summer to protect her arms from being brushed up against.
At least she wasn't sick anymore. At first, she hadn't been sure if her revitalized state of being would last, but as days went by and she still hadn't felt the exhausting draw of her illness, she accepted that it was gone for good. Takane wasn't sure if she had Kenjirou to thank for this, or the snake that Mary had returned to her to reanimate her body, when they'd all left the haze together. She did know she couldn't leave her body anymore, which was both a blessing and a curse. It meant she had to face Shintaro and the life she'd left behind, but it almost meant she couldn't hide anymore.
Either way, she'd been handed a second— maybe third at this point— shot at life, and she intended to make the most of it.
Maybe Haruka felt the same way. Maybe that's why he'd blurted it out, just a few weeks ago when she'd been visiting him as usual.
"When I get out of the hospital— will you go on a date with me?"
She'd boggled at him, at his pale and exhausted-looking self in the hospital bed, surprised at the determination in his face and voice. The return to their original bodies had been harder on him, for some reason, but despite that he reassured her his heart was stronger than ever. He'd be out of the hospital in no time.
And last night she'd gotten the call, and she'd agreed on today, and that's why she was standing in front of the mirror in a scratchy new blouse and skirt, swearing at her hair.
At the corner of the eye, she watched the minutes tick by, and finally she gave up, casting the unhelpful bobby pins onto the counter with a scowl. Haruka was just going to have to deal with her messy hair, just as he was going to have to deal with her ratty old sneakers, because she hadn't yet gotten used to walking in the heels she'd bought to match these clothes.
Almost late, she jogged to the bus stop, her heart in her mouth. Her phone lit up, and she screeched to a stop, worried for a moment that he was calling it off. But it was only Ayano wishing her good luck with a cheerful emoticon, and Takane felt her strength renewed all through the long bus ride.
She was fine up until she looked out the window as they pulled up, and saw him sitting there waiting for her by the bus stop. Even though the day was warm, he still wore the over-large green cardigan, wrapped around his shoulders just as it had been every day she went to visit him. More encouragingly, beneath it he wore normal shoes and shorts, entirely different from the greenish hospital scrubs.
It wasn't his clothes, though, that knocked the air from her lungs, but rather the quiet concentration on his face as he bent over his sketchpad. A breeze stirred his grey-ash hair, and he brushed it away from his eyes with his fingers, pursing his lips at the drawing.
It was so blindingly Haruka, a face she'd seen a thousand times in the classroom before their deaths. This wasn't the first time she'd seen it, but it brought the reality of their situation rushing back to her.
They were alive, and on a date, and at that moment Takane felt like she'd cheated reality altogether.
As much as it daunted her, it also brought a triumphant sort of feeling, and that brought her the strength to join the line of people exiting the bus, hopping down off the last step in a cloud of dust.
She looked up, and Haruka's eyes were searching the cluster of people, scanning them until he found her. She rolled her eyes and lifted one hand, and his gaze found her.
Their eyes meeting had the interesting effect of filling her chest with what appeared to be helium and nerves, and also the welcome effect of making his face light up in a blinding smile. In seconds he was at her side, sketchbook under his arm.
"Takane! You look great!"
She almost griped at him for not noticing her hair or her sneakers, but she was grateful for his oversight all the same, and instead just crossed her arms, suddenly feeling a little shy. They were surrounded by people, but no one seemed to be paying them that much attention, thank goodness.
"You too," she mumbled, which only made him laugh. The sound of his laugh brought a tiny smile to her face, one she would have fought in the past but today she let it hover there, at least until it overstayed its welcome.
"Where are we going anyway?" She'd been too startled by the request to do anything but accept, and she realized now that she had no idea what Haruka's idea of a date entailed. Hell, she didn't know what a normal date entailed. This was new territory for the both of them, so she hoped he at least knew what he was doing.
"There's a new place that opened up, and I never got a chance to stop there before— I can kinda remember it, but we'll just have to wander until we find it." He laughed again, and her urge to berate him for not knowing for sure was lesser than it would have been. She understood. His first life of memories were there, but his Konoha memories were hazy, locked away under a thick layer of unfamiliarity. She didn't ask if he had memories of being anyone else.
By 'new place' Takane assumed he meant a restaurant, judging by his interests back when he'd been Konoha. That was the only sort of place she could imagine him taking notice of enough for him to notice it later. The idea of going out to eat with him was nice, normal, if a little nervewracking because she knew how much Haruka could eat.
She nodded, ready to go, and Haruka held out a hand to her, which she blinked at in confusion.
"The crowd's pretty bad here," he noted, looking around, and of course she'd noticed; every brush against her bare arms made her jump in shock. "I don't want to lose you or anything."
He sounded so genuine that Takane just shook her head and took his hand. She wouldn't put it past Haruka to get lost, but she didn't know this area any better than he did.
Weaving through the crowd was harder for two people than for one, but Haruka seemed to be good at pushing his way through, apologizing cheerfully to each person he bumped into. Takane trailed behind, once or twice losing sight of him a little even though her hand never let go of his. During those times, when her arm stretched out in front of her and the crowd around her seemed to be too much, she squeezed all the tighter to his hand, and he usually noticed, slowing his pace and waiting for her to catch up with a smile. He never seemed to mind how wobbly she was at walking, even though she'd had weeks to recover by now.
They crossed a street and turned a corner, and Takane was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to find her way back, but that was alright. She followed the sound of his apologies until the crowd thinned out, and he turned another corner onto a street that was mostly restaurants and no shops at all. It was much less crowded here, and they could walk shoulder to shoulder, which was something of a relief.
Takane was almost resigning herself to their date being just walking— which would be fine, all things considered— when Haruka stopped, the expression on his face almost as excited as when he'd seen her for the first time that morning.
"Here we are!" he exclaimed, and Takane realized that rather than a sit-down establishment it was a little food stand. The food served there seemed to be a variety, and she could smell the meat cooking all the way down here. Her stomach rumbled, and Haruka laughed.
"Me too," he replied with a grin in her direction, and any embarrassment she felt was erased in a surge of fondness. Of course you too, she thought, almost rolling her eyes.
She picked something from the menu and they got in line, behind another couple who were giggling and whispering in each others ears. Haruka breathed deep, the grin on his face nostalgic.
"Sensei told me he'd take me here, back when I was living at his house. I don't know if he promised it to make me be quiet, or if he really intended to… The parts where he was 'him' were getting to be less and less, then, so it's really hard to tell."
His voice was pleasant, relaxed, but Takane felt a twinge of sadness. Kenjirou had been their teacher for over a year, and the only other person they saw every day besides each other. It was strange, to think that he was gone.
They were up next, and Haruka ordered for her, Takane stuck too deep in her contemplative state to notice until her order was handed over, steaming and smelling heavenly.
They settled down to eat, Haruka just as attentive to food as always— he'd gotten what looked like enough for three people, but as Takane watched he began to methodically work through it with a cheerful smile, finishing even before she did.
When he eyed her food with longing, Takane obligingly handed it over. She wasn't that hungry, and it was worth it for the way his face lit up when she gave it to him. She'd gone so long without that smile that she couldn't get enough of seeing it these days.
As they finished, she held her hand out again, but Haruka ignored it entirely to put his arm around her waist, pulling her to walk closer to him. It was a little strange, but Takane didn't mind. She felt more shielded from the people passing them on the sidewalk, and she wondered if he'd noticed her discomfort.
Haruka touching her was shocking too, but in a less painful way. It was hard to describe, but she leaned into his shoulder and felt no discomfort, just a happy sort of peace.
"We can walk around and look at shops some, if you want?" he asked, and he sounded hopeful. She wondered if he wanted to go shopping, or if he just wanted to prolong being with her. She made a slight face; she wasn't exactly interested in shopping, and crowding into a smaller place with people didn't sound appealing.
"Or you could come over and help me get my account back up?" he requested, and it was so inane that she knew he was just trying to keep her around. "I was hacked while we were umm, not around, and Shintaro's promised me some equipment stuff to get me going again but… I have to be a higher level to use it, and I keep getting my butt kicked…" he rambled on, his gaze travelling up to the sky.
"Alright, alright, let's go back and I'll help you out," she replied, laughing a little at his plight.
He jumped, looking at her with wide eyes for a second, and she wondered if he'd ever heard her laugh like that. Well, he better get used to it.
"Either way, I'll be around," she replied with a casual air she didn't feel, and his expression relaxed into a smile.
"Thank you," he said, sounding truly grateful, and even though they were in the middle of the street, even though his touch made her skin fizz and spark in ways that weren't unpleasant at all, he turned her to face him, hands clumsily clasping at her elbows, and kissed her softly. He was bent half over to reach, and the moment she got over her surprise, Takane tried to help by going up on tiptoes, although she swayed and almost lost her balance and had to hold onto his shirt.
Normally she'd be embarrassed, normally she'd push him away, but the world had denied them too much in these past two years. She wasn't going to let it deny her this moment too.